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Circle Internet Group (CRCL) opened the public mainnet of its Arc Layer 1 blockchain on Wednesday, minting the full initial supply of 10 billion ARC tokens in the U.S. More than 100 applications are live at launch, with Aave V4, Morpho, and Uniswap among the protocols available from day one and over 100 institutional and ecosystem builders participating. Arc's public testnet processed more than 700 million transactions in under a year ahead of the mainnet debut.
The network is EVM-compatible, so existing Solidity contracts work on Arc, and users pay gas in USDC with sub-second finality. Circle named its founding validators in August: BlackRock, DTCC, ICE, Mastercard, and Visa are among the 11 institutions joining the network in phases. "Arc is the single most significant launch in Circle's history since USDC itself," CEO Jeremy Allaire said.
Why it matters
This is Circle's bid to move from stablecoin issuer to full financial infrastructure. Arc's StableFX service supports round-the-clock currency trading and settlement across USDC, EURC, GBPA, JPYC, and KRW1, while BlackRock's BUIDL and Circle's USYC are available as tokenized collateral. Circle and DTCC also plan to enable tokenization of DTC-custodied assets on Arc beginning in the second half of 2027.
The 10 billion ARC mint is a technical milestone, not a public launch commitment, Circle said, as it explores a move from proof of authority to proof of stake in 2027. ARC is intended to coordinate security, utility, and governance, while USDC remains the fee currency. Circle is also developing an opt-in privacy layer with confidential transactions and view keys, plus AgentVM for AI agents handling sensitive data.
Market impact
Institutional participation at the validator level puts BlackRock, Visa, and Mastercard directly inside a blockchain's consensus layer, a step beyond ETF exposure or pilot programs. ICE's Michael Blaugrund said the platform's predictable fees and instant finality address friction points institutional customers raised around onchain settlement.
Frequently asked questions
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What is Circle's Arc blockchain?
Arc is Circle's EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain where gas fees are paid in USDC and transactions reach sub-second finality. Its public mainnet launched with more than 100 applications and over 100 institutional and ecosystem builders participating.
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Which institutions are validators on Arc?
BlackRock, DTCC, ICE, Mastercard, and Visa are among the 11 founding validators Circle named in August. The institutions will join the network in phases.
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Why did Circle mint 10 billion ARC tokens?
Circle minted the full initial ARC supply as a technical milestone, not a commitment to release the tokens publicly. ARC is intended to coordinate security, utility, and governance as Circle explores moving Arc from proof of authority to proof of stake in 2027.
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What can be traded or used as collateral on Arc?
BlackRock's BUIDL and Circle's USYC tokenized funds are available for trading, lending, and use as collateral. Arc's StableFX service also supports round-the-clock currency settlement across USDC, EURC, GBPA, JPYC, and KRW1.
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How does Arc handle privacy for institutions?
Circle is developing an opt-in privacy feature with confidential transactions and balances, plus view keys for authorized parties. The design is meant to let banks, asset managers, and enterprises use a public blockchain for treasury and confidential payments.
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